SECTION FOUR
USA FIELDS FIRST-EVER LADIES’ TEAM IN
INTERNATIONAL MATCH FISHING COMPETITION
PRESS BRIEFINGS 1
LOMBARD, IL (April 12, 2017) – Six American anglers
to compete in Hungary in the 2017 Ladies’ World
Championships
While match fishing is hugely popular throughout
Europe, the uniquely foreign sport and its seemingly
bizarre tactics can leave even the most experienced
American anglers scratching their heads. But don’t
confuse something merely unfamiliar with a sport that’s
in any way simple or unsophisticated. To the contrary,
a quick search of the Internet or trip to the library will
reveal an entirely new world of highly evolved angling
complexity.
Match fishing competitions find participants
confined to small areas, or pegs, along a bank,
with the goal of catching the heaviest combined
weight of fish during a prescribed time period.
Equipment and tactics are highly advanced, and vary
depending on the venue and available species. Top
competitors catch six fish or even more per minute over
a three-hour period – all the while managing delicate
tackle, adjusting presentations and continually meter-
ing precise quantities of ground bait into the water
to attract fish and keep them feeding. Adding to the
apparent madness, competitors often employ tiny size
16-20 hooks to target fish less than four-inches long,
but must be ready to battle larger fish like carp on the
same gear.
Six accomplished female anglers will represent the
United States at the 24 th Annual Ladies’ Match Fishing
World Championships in Szolnok, Hungary on August
26 and 27 of this year. The first-ever ladies team has
been assembled by the United States Angling Confed-
eration (USAC), a non-profit organization granted
authority to host and participate in World Champion-
ship Sport Fishing events through a varied network of
international partnerships.
The team consists of Barb Carey, Hannah Stonehouse
Hudson and Kristen Monroe of Wisconsin, Elise De
Villiers and Penelope Smit of Florida, and Shelly Hol-
land of Minnesota. De Villiers and Smit are veteran
match anglers, while Carey, Holland, Hudson, and
Monroe will be competing in Hungary for the first
time.
“Each of these outstanding women were select-
ed for the team on their unique, individual
merits,” says USAC’s U.S. Freshwater Fishing
Sports Director, Mike McNett.
“These are all skilled anglers, and Barb, Hannah,
Kristen and Shelly are also established fishing industry
professionals, which is a great help when it comes to
generating the industry interest and support necessary
Volume 01 No. 02 | 2017